Lucky Star
by D-chan
Summary: Orphen/Cleao :: challenge from Ivy-san :: fluff, sweetness, one-shot, semi-short :: Cleao travels the world in search of something yet unknown, but when she runs into Orphen reminiscing is in order...


:: Lucky Star ::  
  
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, Orphen, Cleao, or any of the characters mentioned. I also don't own the title *sweatdrop* which belongs to the ending song in a GREAT series called "Pretear". Try to download it sometime. It's really cute!  
  
Rating: G  
  
Pairings: Orphen/Cleao  
  
Warnings: fluff, sweetness, one-shot, semi-short  
  
Spoilers: vague SSO and SSOR spoilers, mostly about who the "villians" were and... yeah. ^^  
  
Challenge from: Lady Ivy Castillo-san  
  
Extended Summary: The adventures have long since been over. Cleao, now a full-grown young woman, travels the world restlessly in search of... Something. What, she isn't sure, but she's surprised to find it when she finds Orphen in one of the towns she stops at. Reminiscing is in order, as well as coming to terms with how they see each other now...  
  
Notes: Wow, I never thought I'd be writing an Orphen/Cleao fic. But the challenge had been made, accepted, and now finished! XD Go me! I CAN be open-minded! ^^; Sorry if it was too short, Ivy-san! I hope the quality in pages was better than the quantity of pages. ^^ I wrote this all in one sitting on sheer impulse, so... I hope it's good enough!  
  
While I'm at it, I'd like to reccomend the song "Yappari" by Sharan Q, who sings the opening themes for the SSO series. It's really catchy and I love their voices! It gave me a lot of inspiration while I was writing. ^_^  
  
Final, personal note: one of my favorite scenes in SSOR was when Orphen said, "Yo," in greeting Majic's father. XD He sounded so... KAKKOI!! *_* Squeee...  
  
  
  
  
'I have been traveling for so long... But what am I looking for?'  
  
That was the one thought that plagued her from day to day. Sure, her travels brought a mild form of adventure, but without her old companions trouble didn't seem to want to find her anymore. Not that she particularly LIKED trouble, but it certainly did make things more exciting!  
  
The first time around she had been naive, thinking she could just jump along for the ride. She had also been doing it for, admittedly, not just the adventure but the guy that came along with it. Orphen had been EXTREMELY attractive, and it was as though her mind, body and soul had just been screaming, "I HAVE to follow him!"  
  
It had turned into more trouble than she had realized, but that had matured her so much that she no longer regretted even a single moment!  
  
Cleao Everlasting sighed softly, a single finger twirling her curly hair. Not once since in her life had she ever thought to cut it short, so it was extremely long now, a good couple of inches past her waist. With that length came the softening of curls, making her hair seem more wavy and tame. Her sparkling crytalline eyes had not once lost the spark of desire for excitement, even after years of it.  
  
She was a woman now, no longer a child. Nearing her mid-twenties she could look back and say, without hesitation, that she had certainly grown since her first real adventure had started eight years ago.  
  
Eight years...  
  
"How boring," she murmured into the night, resting her chin on her hand. Long nails drummed the wooden windowsill, looking slightly chipped as opposed to what they had been only days ago when she had paid her mother and sister a visit at the Everlasting manor. Her mother would be most upset at her ruining her manicure so quickly. Cleao smiled at the thought.  
  
A low growl caught her attention. Laughing softly, she reached down and scratched the wolf-like creature under the chin. "Of course, Leki, I have you," she said. "But it's just not the same, you know? You don't attract as much danger, so it makes life just a tad more dull."  
  
Leki was really a dragon, the child of a Deep Dragon to be exact, but his appearance was that of a luxerious blue wolf. He was not a force to be reckoned with; one call from his owner and you could be blasted to one of the seven hells. He had certainly grown in the past eight years, though! Rather than a pup, he truly looked like a large wolf. This made people more cautious to approach the young woman, so that it also took away even minor danger that might have dared to approach her.  
  
But then, having Leki had its advantages. Such as, with one sweet smile from the girl and one glance at her seemingly ferocious pet, people were more than happy to point her in the right direction, or to give her a place to stay the night.  
  
This hotel, however, was mind-numbingly boring. Cleao had tried locking Leki inside so she could wander around alone, but nothing had come up anyway. This town was far too boring for her tastes and she couldn't wait for morning to arrive so she could leave.  
  
"Aah!" she cried suddenly, standing up so that the chair she had been sitting in knocked over. Leki yelped as the heavy wood landed on his tail and snarled at the inanimate object that had dared threaten him. "This is ridiculous! Where's the adventure in life?!"  
  
"Adventure, you ask?" a voice said from outside, making her start. "Where's the SILENCE?"  
  
She leaned out the second story window, glancing down. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight at the sight that greeted her. "Orphen!"  
  
"Yo," he replied, grinning and waving two fingers up at her almost in a salute. Cleao couldn't help but grin back; it had been a good six years since she had last talked to him face-to-face!  
  
"Hold on, I'll be right down," she said excitedly. Without giving the older man a chance to respond, she opened the door to her hotel room and rushed out. It was late, it was dark, but this was a friend she hadn't seen in years!  
  
He was still standing in the same spot when she finally came around the building. Looking at him again, Cleao realized just how much Orphen had changed since she'd last seen him. He wasn't much taller, but his features were slightly more defined and his eyes had a spark of maturity in them that made him nearly unrecognizable. Even his clothes were different, which was a startling but nice change. He had switched his leather for denim, from his pants to his jacket, and the admittedly drab brown shirt for a pale gray. He still wore the headband like a display of honor, as well as his old but dearly cared-for pendant.  
  
"I thought it was you," he said when she came within earshot. He still had that grin on his face, obviously pleased to see her as well. "Who else would be so loud so late?"  
  
Cleao rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Nice to see you, too," she remarked. "Are you alone?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that important?" At her playful glare he chuckled softly. "Aa," he agreed. As though to her unspoken question, he added, "Majic's not my apprentice anymore."  
  
"Since when?" she asked, startled.  
  
He scoffed. "Since he decided he'd learned enough and went back to that Dragon village for his girlfriend... Speaking of which, is THAT the demon child?" he said without pause, nodding towards the much larger Leki.  
  
Cleao simply smiled; she didn't need to answer that question. It had clearly been rhetorical. "Want to go for a walk?" she suggested. A nice change of surroundings was in order, and anyway, it would help her restlessness a bit.  
  
Orphen made a vague noise of agreement. Without a word both began to wander the silent streets. It was nice, really. The air was cool, with a slight breeze, and the stars could bee seen clearly in the moonless sky.  
  
"So where've you been to?" she asked brightly.  
  
He shook his head slightly. "Just around. Nowhere special." He paused for a moment and added, "It's been unnervingly quiet without either of you following me everywhere--"  
  
"Excuse me," she interrupted. Though more mature, she was still well known for her easily lit temper, though now that she was older it came with a bit more wit that it had when she was a teenager. "But who was following who? You practically DRAGGED us along--"  
  
"Why would I willingly drag excess baggage with me?" he snorted, amused.  
  
"Because we were useful and you know it!" she retorted. "You couldn't have saved Azari without us, nor could you have ever defeated Rina without all the sorcerer's-- Including Majic's!-- help and--"  
  
He snickered. "All right, I get it... You were USEFUL baggage."  
  
"Mou," she sighed in irritation.  
  
"Heh." Orphen shook his head. She was older, yes, more mature, yes, but still with that childish streak that made her Cleao. And, admittedly, that much more attractive.  
  
Neither spoke for another few minutes, simply enjoying the night air and company of each other. A couple years ago Cleao would have been bursting with questions, wanting to know every detail of every adventure he had been on to make up for the lack of her own, but she knew better. Not only was that intruding without permission, Orphen was horribly lazy and avoided trouble if he could.  
  
"Naa, Cleao."  
  
The sound of her name from his mouth startled her, but she smiled. "Yes?"  
  
Sienna-coloured eyes glinted with mild curiosity. "What are you looking for?"  
  
She stopped walking, her hands dropping limpy to her sides. The question utterly baffled her, not because it was surprisingly but because she always wondered that herself. "Erm... What makes you think--?"  
  
Orphen smirked. "You're you," was all he said, as if that explained everything. Perhaps it did. Even after six years, Orphen was still himself, or at least he still had many of his old traits and mannerisms. No matter how much Cleao thought she'd changed, she honestly couldn't have changed much more than him.  
  
"I don't know," she admitted. "I guess... That's what I'm looking for when I travel."  
  
His expression turned serious. "I hope you find what you're looking for, then... Cleao."  
  
She couldn't explain why, but the way he said it made her heart pound with a surprising burst of emotion. She tried to wave it off, but the feeling lingered like the aftertaste of medicine, refusing to leave her completely alone. She smiled brightly to cover it. "Thanks. So do I."  
  
A faint reddish glow was beginning to lighten the tones of the earth. Cleao glanced up at the sky, disappointed to see all the stars gone. A rare night in which the moon wasn't full, and she hadn't made a single wish.  
  
It sounded childish, really, but it was a habit she'd had since she was a small child. Only on a starless night would she look for the first star she could see and wish for something, anything she wanted at the moment. Oddly enough, most of those wishes came true (though probably because she had said them aloud and, as a child, her parents could have easily provided her with the material item she so desired at the moment).  
  
Orphen seemed to notice her disappointment. "Something wrong?" he asked casually.  
  
She felt silly, but compelled to explain. And she did, going into a bit more detail than necessary, but Orphen didn't laugh once. In fact, he took her very seriously.  
  
"Wish on the sun."  
  
What an odd statement! Cleao stared at him questioningly. "What?"  
  
Orphen shrugged. "At the Tower we were taught that the sun was a star, merely a closer one that the many others in the sky."  
  
It sounded absurd to Cleao, but why not give it a try? "Right," she agreed, turning to face the rising sun. Suddenly inspiration struck her and she closed her eyes, murmuring, "To find what I seek, what I desire most... That is my wish."  
  
Red from the still-rising sun burned through her eyelids, but then suddenly it was gone. Before she could open her eyes a soft, chaste kiss was pressed to her slightly parted lips. Cleao gasped and took a step back, staring at Orphen in shock. Her heart raced, making her feel giddy. Had he just... Had Orphen just...?  
  
Orphen stared at her solemnly for a moment before his face broke into his usual carefree grin. "Ja, Cleao," he said in parting, giving her that two-fingered wave before he turned and walked into the direction of the sun rising.  
  
Cleao inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, smiling at his retreating back. "Ja ne, Orphen," she said, knowing full well he couldn't hear her by then.  
  
Leki purred softly beside her. Smiling, she knelt down and scratched him behind the ears, still watching the now tiny sillhouette of the man she loved walk away. His physical body was gone, but his presence still lingered. And the kiss had seemed more than just that, more like a promise. A promise to meet again, and the promise of an adventure ready to begin anew when they met again.  
  
And she was certainly going to hold him to that promise!  
  
~ Owari :: End ~ 


End file.
